Algarvean Daze

Victoria - you have really cheered me up. I have just had a lovely lazy look back through your pictures again. Its all so cheerful. But its getting better here as well.

 

I haven't visited here for a while ... I just love it when we've had a good rain and the sun comes out ... my garden loves it even more ...

 

Lovely, Vicky. Thanks for sharing.

 

Quite beautiful.

The colour of your sky is quite extraordinary. The quality of light would inspire me to paint of I was of that inclination.

 

Thank you Clare and Mel .. love the hat, Mel ... were you the person who purchased it ... Painting ... it does and I do ...

The sun has now moved to behind the house so a couple more today ...

A Bougainvillea climbing across the gates under the Almond tree ... (I allow things to do their own 'thing') ...





My Callistemon viminalis which is now blooming sporadically constantly just inside the gates to the left of the pictures above ...




And my one and only Agapanthus blooming under the Jacaranda ... courtesy of roders last year ...

 

So many lovely things Victoria . I love that Jacaranda. But look out, they say we are going to have a scorcher of a summer here (possibly), so we should be able to rival you . My Bougainvillea is already two inches high.

 

Wow Victoria what beautiful plants. What sort of earth does the callistemon like, does it need much water, or does it like it dry? I tried to grow one in Italy last year, but it died and i think i had it in the wrong place, as they seem to grow okay in the area.

Lovely garden.

 

Now, Peter, you are really getting me worried ... your Bougainvillea is two inches tall now ... the one at my gate is 8 years old now (and was a couple of years old when I bought and planted it) and only grew to this standard this past year ...

I have two others that I bought in 2005 (a year or two old) and are about one meter tall ... Here they seem to take their time 'finding their feet' and it can take many years. So, I'm looking forward to this 'challenge' for you to 'rival' me ...

:kittykiss:

 

Hi there Pixie and thank you. You were posting whilst I was writing to Peter.

The Callistemon is in red clay soil, so heavy. We have torrential rains in the winter/spring (November-June) and nothing in the summer but I do water daily in the summer. I can't speak for the UK but it is happy in a dry climate here .. and I do not feed it, nor do I anything else other than the Brugmansias and Daturas in pots and a couple of roses and fruit trees occasionally ... when I think of it because I am now basically a lazy gardener and forget ....

 

Love the garden Vicky....Cannot match your Jacaranda but have just brought out my Brugmansias which will soon start flowering ..I lost a lot of tender plants this winter so have remodelled my garden this year...Lantana's are also looking good this year..Will put some photos up as they flower ..
Dave

 

Hello Dave, haven't spoken of late and hope you are well. I am sure your Brugmansia are well ahead of mine and will bloom first ...

We still can't believe how our garden is now ... these last couple of years it has transformed into my idyllic garden .. although I will still perserve to achieve more.

When I think back to 1997 ... this is what I took on ... a weed patch ... (oh, the cottage looks a little nicer now too ... )

 

Vicky - you have got me really worried now. I had no idea Bourgainvillea grew so slowly. Being naive, I assumed that all exotic plants from warm climes grew at a prodigeous rate, like my Brugmansias which are already nearly three feet high from seed this year.

I am never one to shy away from a challenge - but I am think that I might have to cheat a bit, like grafting it onto a Brugmansia rootstock. Or give it some of that Chinese growth hormone. :WINK1:

I don't know if you saw that on Portugese TV. Fields full of Chinese melons were exploding, after they had been given too much growth hormone.

 

Peter, can't say your Bougainvillea will not grow quickly there .. I hope you get somewhere ... I find it almost 'disturbing' here how long it takes for some of them to 'find their feet' ...

I don't watch much TV as my lifestyle doesn't allow it ..